Friday, September 30, 2005

More Fixgerald

Recently a friend revealed a conversation he had several years ago with Scott Fawell who is currently in prison. Falwell is being used as a witness by the prosecution (Patrick Fitzgerald) to present evidence against his former boss, George Ryan; George Ryan is a former governor of Illinois. None other than Patrick Fitzgerald has handled the indictment and now trial of George Ryan.

Scott Fawell was head of the gigantic MPEA Metropolitan Pier and Expostion Authority. He was head of McCormick Place where conventions are held and Navy Pier a multi- purpose tourist, concert and convention facility. He was described as a favorite of George Ryan.

Long before he went to prison, and while he was under investigation by Patrick Fitzgerald, my friend, said Scott Fawell told him that George Ryan had been warned by Karl Rove not to pursue clemency for death row convicts in Illinois. This occurred at a meeting, I am not sure, perhaps of governors in Washington. Later, after Ryan declared a moratorium on the death sentence, a representative from Karl Rove's office appeared in Illinois, arriving quite unexpectedly and asked to see the Governor. Ryan was told by this representative that his moratorium for death row prisoners would not go unpunished. He said George Bush was very unhappy. George Bush presided over 152 executions in Texas as governor and is famous for his mocking of Karla Faye Tuckers pleas to be granted clemency.

Ryan was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his decision to commute the sentences of 167 death row inmates and his placing a moratorium in 2000 on the death penalty. He did this he said, given the evidence that DNA testing had shown many on death row to be innocent. There is no political gain for a Republican governor to do this. It seems he did this based on conscience.

Now whether the indictment of Ryan is part of the punishment or coincidence I don't know. But apparently, according to my friend, Scott Falwell thinks it is. And according to this friend Scott Falwell has said the indictment of Ryan and all the underlings that preceeded him is the direct result of Ryans's actions on the moratorium.

The charges against Ryan could be leveled against almost any politician. They are racketeering, mail fraud, perjury, and income tax evasion. This means he received gifts, lied and did not report the gifts on his income tax. It's not as impressive as it sounds. But that's another matter.

George Ryan has been indicted by Patrick Fitzgerald and is currently in court. Patrick Fitzgerald has been heralded as the savior of those who want Bush administration officials indicted in the Valerie Plame Scandal.

These same people who would like to see Bush officialdom indicted point to Patrick Fitzgerald as a non-partisan attorney general, a "bulldog" acting in the interests of the law. He is in fact a Republican who was appointed by James Comey who worked for John Ashcroft at the time of his selection to investigate the Plame affair. Ken Mehlman has said that he has the highest regard and faith in Patrick Fitzgerald's ability to come to a just conclusion to the Plame investigation.

I have never believed that attorney generals act in the interests of the law but rather for political reasons. Whenever a politician is indicted it is always a political act without regard to guilt or innocence. This is true for Tom Delay, it was true for Richard Nixon and it was true for the Whitwater investigation of Bill Clinton.

James Comey who now works for Lockheed Martin appointed Patrick Fitzgerald to be the special prosecutor in the Valerie Plame affair. James Comey is described as being best friends with Patrick Fitzgerald.

Phillip Perry is a lawyer whose former firm Latham and Watkins represents Lockheed Martin. He has just been selected (as of April) to be the general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security. Lockheed Martin has won billions in contracts with Homeland Security. His wife is Elizabeth Cheney who is the Vice President's daughter. Perry has also represented a private prison firm and Bill Frist's American Hospital Corporation. Elizabeth Perry (Cheney's daughter) is the second-ranking U.S. diplomat for the Middle East and the State Department's principal deputy assistant secretary of state.

Lynne Cheney had served on the board of Lockheed Martin for 7 years (1994-2001). Lynne Cheney is of course the wife of the Vice President.

I cannot imagine that after Comey's having appointed Patrick Fitzgerald to investigate the Plame affair, that Lockheed Martin could have hired James Comey, as it's new general counsel unless this appointment of Patrick Fitzgerald was not seen as a "mistake" or error on the part of Comey. In other words, the Cheney connections to Lockheed Martin in the form of his wife and son in law are very great and very substantial. Comey was hired by Lockheed Martin just a few months ago. The Plame investigation is a couple of years old. If the investigation were going badly for the Bush Administration they would certainly know that. Cheney would know that. With Cheney's influence at Lockheed Martin, one has to wonder why Comey would be hired if he had chosen a person in the form of Fitzgerald who was about to take down a part of the Administration.

I have always been skeptical of the administration investigating itself - and Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation into the Plame affair is just that. The Bush administration is investigating itself. The suggestion that Patrick Fitzgerald is non=partisan as seen by his indictment of George Ryan, a very liberal Republican who defied George Bush, has never held water.

Currently, Fitzgerald is going after Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's administration and will inevitably focus on the Mayor. A mayor who shares a lot of things with the President. Both having had father's who preceeded them in their jobs. But Daley is a Democrat and no one can remember the last time Chicago had a Republican Mayor. Fitzgerald is attempting to destroy the corrupt democratic machine. But for what purpose?

I hope that Patrick Fitzgerald indicts someone of significance. But I am very skeptical.

It is time for the indictments, The grand jury term is ending in October. It is also possible that the investigation into the Plame affair has gotten out of the control of Patrick Fitzgerald. He cannot force the grand jury. If incontrovertible evidence was presented that could not have been foreseen by Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald can only influence, not control the grand juries decision to indict. At least that's my understanding. Judith Miller's incarceration is often pointed to as evidence that Fitzgerald is getting to the bottom of the matter. But I have always wondered if her being put in jail for contempt has more to do with protecting herself than her sources. But I cannot say that I understand why Fitzgerald would do this as she too has connections to Cheney. Perhaps it has to do with the fact she allegedly interfered in one of Fitzgerald's previous investigations while he was in New York.

Interesting take on the whole ordeal. I have a feeling that what your friend told you is correct. There is no way this administration would allow someone to investigate that wasn't already under their thumb somehow. It all feels too orchestrated to me. Too many people have been singing the praises for Fitz, when everyone jumps on the wagon it's usually a good time to get off.

Excellent, EXCELLENT post. It's good to hear another point of view. Please note that I cut and pasted this blog, with a hyperlink to it, on my diary over at Dailykos.com. If this offends, please let me know and I'll remove.

You and your friend know nothing about the Ryan investigation, apparently, but you could find out plenty by using Google.

The investigation of George Ryan and his activities dates from well before Patrick Fitzgerald was put in charge of the Chicago office. In fact, the investigation of Ryan started before Ryan was even elected Governor.

"Street level" operatives in Ryan's Secretary of State offices were taking cash in exchange for doling out licenses and funneling that cash into Ryan's campaign fund in anticipation of his run for governor.

The investigation of these activities started before Ryan was even elected Guv. These "street level" operators were flipped... and on up the chain the investigation went.

Fitgerald came in closer to the end of the investigation than to the beginning. The fact that he and his team in Chicago are prosecuting the Ryan case is more a matter of circumstance than of an imagined political vendetta.

The Ryan investigation was well under way before Bush (and Rove) even moved into the White House.

Ryan, 69, a Republican known worldwide as a leading critic of the death penalty, gradually became the focus of a corruption investigation that began even before his 1998 election as governor. The growing scandal was a factor in Ryan's 2001 decision not to seek a second term.

I removed my reference to this diary from dailykos. As you might guess from the "anonymous" feedback, above, I evidently didn't do my homework very well. My thanks to the kossacks who gave me helpful information and my apologies for contributing to their elevated blood pressure. My apologies also to Stu for cluttering up his personal blog. I shoulda left it alone.

I live in Chicago. The report is not Bogus because you happened to have read an ariticle on line from the Tribune.

The investigation of Operation Safe Road hit full speed when Fitzgerald took over. Fitzgerald indicted Ryan especially on charges while he was in office.

When politicians get investigated, it is always political. Whenther it's Tom Delay of Clinton.

There is no question that Ryan embarassed Bush. Whether Fitzgerald....(who aslo has been accused of indicting "terrorists" for Bush propaganda purposes)indicted Ryan as punishement for his embarassment of Bush, I don't know. But that is what Scott Fawell reportedly said.

Remember. I live in Chicago. I think I know something about the politics here. Maybe not as much as some, but something.

Dalily Gloss is comprised of people who are forced to conform with each other's views. It is a dispicable forum of a pretentious conservative nature masquerading as liberals. The author is pro war.

My apologies again. I found your story to be logical, and again, thought it was an excellent post. I was wrong to have cross-posted it anywhere without discussion with you. I was new and naive regarding the world of blogs, and again apologize. You, as well as some of the folks on dkos, obviously have much more background and depth of knowledge than I on all things political. Additionally, I've learned that there are apparently some dkos posters whose only function is as piranas who cry "delete your diary, delete your diary", as they did with me. As I have many more questions than I have personal opinions at this point, I've chosen not to feed the piranas. I thank you for your candid feedback, and appreciate that you didn't chew me to bits with it. Peace.

I saw Fitzgerald on TV announcing the indictment of Libby. I could come to no other conclusion that he is and was being straightforward. His is an anamoly. He's single, no kids and therefore can't be under the same kinds of pressures that others are. And apparently has been promoted by corrupt politicians who saw in him what they would have liked to be...honest, straightforward, on the up and up. This happens on occasion. Especially when these politicians do not see him as a threat to them...and even sometimes when they do...because they feel guilt.

Fitzgerald, I believe is a Republican however and as such probably will give Bush more leeway..( as in his hopefully inevitabel indictment of Rove and others).